Sibling Dynamics
by CNJ
Summary: That summer before their 6th year, tensions between Ron and Percy escalate into a blowup which could permanently mar their relationship. Strong language and a mildly violent incident. Completed!
1. Sixteenth Summer

**_The usual disclaimers_**: None of these characters or places are mine, except Harry's great-aunt Miranda and another friend of Harry's, Cheria Radwin.   
Hi, thanks all of you for reading and reviewing my other stories! I appreciate it! Some of you may have seen my brief summary on the yahoo groups about Ron and Percy's fight...so I decided to begin this story. This first chapter is sort of a prologue and focuses on Harry's thoughts, but in the next chapter will focus more on Ron and Percy and how the rift has been developing between them. This story takes place the week before Harry and the gang begin their sixth year. Enjoy what I have so far and keep the reviews coming! Happy holidays as well!   
  
  
  
  
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**Sibling Dynamics**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**1: Sixteenth Summer**

**Harry**: 

A gnome trilled something outside that late August night as I got into bed in the spare bedroom at the Weasleys. I smiled softly as I remembered all the times we'd had de-gnoming the Weasley's big garden...by we, I mean, my friend Ron Weasley, who is sixteen this year like me, his mum Molly, his sister Ginny, who's a year younger than us and occasionally some of Ron's five older brothers. Yes, there are seven kids in the Weasley family, whether some of you believe it or not. Tomorrow, Ron, Ginny, and I are going to Diagon Alley to get our books and supplies for our sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We'll be meeting two of our other friends there, Hermione Granger and Cheria Radwin.   
Ron and Ginny had come over to my great-aunt Miranda's flat early this summer and spent a week there. We'd had an enjoyable time, but Ron and I had summer jobs to start, so Ron headed back home while I started my job working part-time at a bookstore that specialized in spells. The job had been great, but tiring. It had also been dusty, I remembered with a soft smile.   
So, now here I am at the Burrow, which is what the Weasleys call their home. It's a comfortable, worn place and I've had lots of good times here. I'll be here a few days, then it'll be back home to pack and say goodbye to my dear Aunt Miranda before catching the Hogwarts Express back to school. Then our sixth year would begin in earnest.   
I just hope, hope on all of Merlin's stars that I can get through the year without another Voldemort encounter. By Voldemort, I mean the evil wizard, who's stalked the wizard/witch world in London for too many years. He'd mercilessly killed my parents when I was just a year and three months old. He'd tried to kill me, but my mum's deep love and protectiveness saved me that bleak night in early November and I'd come away with a deep, lightening-shaped scar on my forehead. My hand automatically reached up and felt the jagged scar tissue under my thick dark bangs. My mouth twisted into a wry smile. That encounter and my mother's love had also weakened Voldemort that night and for years many thought he'd died, but he'd just been temporarily weakened.   
Turning over, I swallowed as I remembered Voldemort making himself known first by lurking in obscure places in our first three years, then rising up and becoming more prominent at the end of my fourth year by killing Cedric Diggory right in front of my horrified eyes. I still feel the emotional scars and occasionally a dull pain from that traumatic experience. _Kill the spare_, the cruel voice sounded in my memory, drying out my throat.   
I really don't know what I'll do if Voldemort attacks again, especially if he kills another Hogwarts student. I really don't know. I wish he'd just vanish and not come back...if only the Ministry were smart enough to make some spell or some stone that would weaken him permanently. I laughed quietly and ironically as I thought of who was in the Ministry...Cornelius Fudge, who has his head in the bloody sand over Voldemort's return, half the aurors, and many in the Ministry who think that it's my godfather, Sirius Black who betrayed my parents and killed a group of muggles long ago instead of that sneaky jackass, Peter Pettigrew, who's really the guilty one. What a sorry, bloody joke if I'd ever seen one.   
Oh, there are some competent members in the Ministry, including Ron's dad and Arabella Figg, who along with Dumbledore, revived the Order of Phoenix. The Order of Phoenix is a group of teachers and Ministry members who are on the lookout for dark wizards and witches and basically act as a buffer to protect humanity from evil sorcery. I choked back a growling snort of a snicker as I remembered that Fudge was in that Order. I just hoped it wouldn't take a tragedy, another Cedric incident to wrench Fudge's head out from the sand.   
I started to laugh again, but my grin froze and I felt my face twist painfully as my throat tightened a minute, then went dry once again. The fear was with me again, the awful fear that so often came to me, especially these past two years. Oh, how young and rather naive I'd been my first three years, thinking I could just pop Voldemort a spell or two and he'd be gone. Cedric's death and Voldemort's evil plot to kidnap us by portkey had really shaken me and I knew deep down inside that I couldn't defeat Voldemort myself. I'm just able to stave him off temporarily, but that really doesn't do much good. Me, the temporary door stopper of the magical world, I thought with a touch of bitter irony.   
_ Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived,_ people used to call me when I first entered Hogwarts at the age of eleven. My lips stretched into that wry, ironic smile again that I'd been getting experienced at lately as a new thought ran through my head, _Harry Potter, the Boy Who Fought Voldemort Going Backwards_. It was a funny, but disquieting thought, but I do realize now that whenever I did fight Voldemort, it certainly was never willingly and it was always me backing away, backing away until I could think up some spur of the moment plan to stave him off for then.   
This time, a fresh sudden gulp interrupted this ironic grin of mine and my lips closed abruptly as I swallowed again. This time, I couldn't ease the dryness in my throat, so I had a terrific fit of the gulps, something I'm often prone to when I'm nervous and worried. I lay on my stomach and waited for not only the gulps to be over, but that this year would bring some peace and freedom to all of us in both the muggle and magical world. Heaven's stars, we really need it.   
  
  


More later! I'll also keep working on my other stories as well, so keep checking back! 

  



	2. Serious Attitude Problems

**Sibling Dynamics**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**2: Serious Attitude Problems**

  


**Ron:**

"...so Crookshanks stinks like a loo by the time Mum and I get him back into the house and we had to give him another bath, which thrilled him to pieces as you can imagine," Hermione told us as we loaded up on spellbooks the next day in Diagon Alley. We all laughed some, then headed to the cashier to pay, then headed out. We were loaded down by that time and were just about done our back to school shopping spree. Just then, Pig came flying over the table we'd just sat at to have a snack. It was from Mum and Dad telling us that they had to leave early for their business trip and that my older brother Percy would be picking us up at the edge of Diagon Alley. Oh. I looked around at my friends.   
"What's the matter?" Harry asked, his brows slanting a little with worry.   
"I guess..." what should I tell Harry, that my parents forgot that we could just as well catch the bus back home? "I was kind of hoping we could get the bus..." I'd be willing to wager that Percy jumped in and volunteered. Percy is in his third year of college in Brunsworth University and sometimes acts like he's a hundred and twenty instead of twenty.   
This summer, Percy also had an arguement with my other brothers, twins George and Fred and now they're barely speaking. I don't think Percy likes their pranks and is always telling them how irresponsible and out of control they are. George and Fred in turn are always complaining that Percy's too conservative and judgemental.   
Just the other day, George went with me outside in the back of our house and went on telling me that Percy's narrow-minded and judgemental. "Sees everything black and white, you know?" he'd said sullenly. "Looks his nose down on anyone who doesn't have a lofty title or career plans and has this attitude that anyone who struggles financially or is poor is because it's their own fault or something. Then he's been criticizing Mum and Dad for being too liberal with us, meaning with Fred, you, and Ginny."   
"That's an insult to Mum and Dad," I'd said, thinking of my own parents, who don't have a lot of money. Dad works as a clerk in the Ministry while Mum's a secretary in a pediatrician's office. I suspect Mum does a lot more than type up memos and organize Dr. Felter's files. Dr. Felter used to be our pediatrician when we kids were growing up and she's a third-generation Jewish German; her grandparents fled Germany during the Holocaust. Mum says that our family has a touch of Jewish blood going way back to the eighteen-hundreds. But still, on their jobs...Mum gets paid mostly a secretary's salary, which isn't a lot. So for Percy to say such a thing is an insult to our own parents. Percy says he wants to become an accountant.   
Just then, the waiter came by and took our orders. It was mostly sherbets and sweets and once they arrived, we pigged about grandly. The day was sunny and the weather still warm. Fall was still several weeks away.   
"So, Ron, ready to be Quidditch Captain?" Harry asked, licking up the last of his chocolate melt wand.   
"Ohh, yes," I grinned. At the end of last year, I was picked as the new Captain of the Gryffindor team. Harry and Hermione are going to be prefects this coming year.   
"Haaaarrryyy..." Someone called. We turned to see Rose Mercer coming our way.   
"Hello..." Harry called. She came closer, her auburn hair blowing in the wind and Harry introduced her to us. Rose is sort of an item with Harry; they've gone on a couple of dates for the past month. Harry's first really serious girlfriend, I thought with a grin. Harry's really shy about dating and things like that. I, on the other hand, have dated a few girls since our fourth year.   
"Care to join us?" Hermione asked, moving over to make room.   
"I can for a few minutes," Rose sat between Harry and Hermione and we chatted more. Rose worked at the bookstore with Harry and that's how they met. Rose goes to a smaller school in Scotland.   
"In just few weeks, I leave for school," she told us. "Have my supplies." She indicated her full trolley. "My mum is picking me up in a few, so I'd better get going. Nice to meet all of you." She stood and leaned over and gave Harry a kiss on the mouth. "Bye, Harry..." They hugged then.   
"Bye, Rosie..." Harry murmured, then watched her go, a sad expression crossing his large greenish-hazel eyes.   
"Looove..." a voice crooned behind me and there were giggles. I looked up to see Fred and George giggling. Harry looked up and reddened.   
"Hello..." they said and we greeted them back.   
"God, I must have looked like a lovesick dog..." Harry muttered, his face still red.   
"Ahhh, you didn't look too lovesick," Fred grinned.   
"Just mournfully romantic," George added and they cracked up as Harry turned even redder.   
"Oh, don't tease Harry," Hermione stood. "We'd better get a move on; I suspect Percy will be arriving soon." So we did. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Hermione and Cheria waved bye to us as we headed to the car that my parents had loaned Percy. Once Ginny, Harry, Fred, George, and I got into the car and were on our way back to the Burrow, Percy told us that our parents would be out of town for a few days and he would be in charge.   
"Like we need a babysitter..." Fred snarled from next to me. Percy ignored his remark and drove on home.   
After dinner, Harry timidly knocked on my door. "Come in..." I told him. I was finishing my summer assignments as he walked in.   
"Good, you're improving some on the timing," Harry grinned. I had to smile back. I sometimes wait until the last minute to get homework done. I used to think of homework as pointless and stupid, but now that I'm sixteen, I see the point. I guess it develops your self-discipline and timing as well as gives you mental exercise. I knew Harry had done his assignments early in the summer. Harry and Hermione are a lot alike in that way; they're both very consientious students and do things early. Ginny's in between us while Cheria's more like me. "How was your job?" I'd worked on a temporary assignment in my Mum's office helping her with filing.   
"Good..." I nodded, pushing my books aside. "A bit tiring and tedious, but a good experience. It sure helps being able to earn my own money."   
"Yes," Harry nodded. "The money my parents left me will carry me a few years, maybe through college, but I really want to start saving money I made, not just ride on my parents' generosity." Harry is so quiet and serious with his round wire-rimmed glasses, snub nose, and straight black hair. He's short and used to be rather bony and scrawny, but last year, he filled out and now he's more graceful with soft smooth dancer-type muscles, even though he's still on the thin side. Slender, is how Mum describes him now. His voice is very soft and deep. I think he's the quietest one of our group, yet thinks very deeply. Maybe it's partly because he's sensitive, born that way, but also another part is that he had to live with these awful relatives, the Dursleys...his mum's sister, Petunia, her husband, Vernon and their spoiled son, Dudley.   
They were really ugly to Harry and I remember how shocked I was that summer before our second year when my twin brothers and I flew Dad's car over to the Dursleys' house and found Harry locked in his room with mesh bars over the windows. We'd had to break that open with the car to get him out. Vernon had awakened and come running into the room and tried to grab Harry, but we managed to escape.   
The summer after our fourth year, the abuse Harry endured had gotten out of control and Harry had run away after his uncle beat him. It had been scary because for several days, no one know where Harry was. Finally, Hagrid found him in Diagon Alley.   
It was then that his great-Aunt Miranda was found; the Dursleys' guardianship was terminated and now Harry spends the vacations with Miranda. She's so much better than the Dursleys. She's a witch like us and is his late dad's aunt. I later found out that actually the Dursleys had gotten guardianship of Harry illegally by falsly claiming to be Harry's only living relatives. Miranda had been hit with a memory-loss charm and by the time she got her memory back, she'd lost track of her great-nephew.   
I really hope I never meet those Dursleys again because I will tell them what I think of them and maybe grab them with a hex or two. Harry never talks about what he endured with them, but I know it was bad. As Harry and I talked, Percy once poked his head in, ostensibly to say good night.   
"Good God, Ron, don't you ever organize this mess?" Percy lifted a lip as he surveyed my room. "It's amazing that Harry isn't put off by this room."   
"Good night, Percelville," I said through gritted teeth. Percy left with a slightly disgusted look on his face. "Sorry about that, Harry, but he really is getting to be a jackass lately," I muttered. It's true that I'm not the most organized person on the planet, but I do have most of my things off the floor and Harry isn't bothered by it. But Percy acts like it's a disaster area up to the ceiling.   
"Is there a problem between Percy and the twins?" Harry asked as we munched on chocolate frogs. "I sensed tension between them...they aren't speaking, are they?"   
"Not really," I ran a hand through my bright red hair. "Percy's gotten overly critical lately and puts them down a lot, so they stay away from him. They used to play pranks, but he got worse, so they just...avoid having much to do with him." Bit by bit, we moved on to other things, made a bit uneasy by the conversation about my brothers.   
None of us in our group of friends are good at talking about what's going on deep inside of us. I didn't tell Harry how uneasy this feud was making me or that I'd sensed Percy distancing himself from me and...looking down on my parents and me. He's said some things about people that have bothered me lately, things about poor people and how our parents raised the twins, me and Ginny. I get the feeling he seems almost ashamed to be related to us. Also I could see Harry was a bit nervous too and a bit sad thinking about this, so we moved on to school and other things. We talked until around midnight and Harry helped me some on the Potions homework.   
"Good, done with Potions," I sighed in relief closing my book. "Now if Professor Snape doesn't butcher it, I'll be home free." We both chuckled softly, thinking of crabby, cynical, sarcastic Professor Snape. He used to really drive us batty with his acid comments and embarrassing beratings, but now Harry's a bit calmer about him, figures he's just unhappy with teaching. On top of that, Snape and Harry's parents were in the same Hogwarts class and Snape had been a big rival of Harry's dad, so I guess it carried over. Snape still gets under my skin sometimes, but not as badly as he used to. While Harry brushed his teeth, I lay back and thought over the upcoming year. Just two more years and we'd be graduating. I really hope the Order Of Phoenix can keep Hogwarts and the magical community safe. I drifted off to sleep before Harry came back in. 

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I thought I was the first one up, but it turned out Percy was the first one up and he was talking to his girlfriend, Frieda Leach by floo. I bottoned the last botton on my shirt and got out a pan to fry an egg. I really wasn't listening to Percy and Frieda's conversation, but as I ate, bits of the conversation drifted from the living room to the kitchen.   
_ Never did make it out there...choices made...act like it's not their fault...really should quit bumming off us taxpayers and get a real job...take a look at some people I know_... I then heard, "...so he's going to be shoveling files for the Ministry all his life until he retires, then needs government help and Mum, shame she never finished college...just where is her secretary job going to lead her..." _It's nowhere_...I heard Frieda tell him. "...same thing with your cousin..." Percy went on. I took my plate to the table, but was really beginning to boil inside, having the suspicion that it was our parents he was putting down. "I see the same thing with my brothers, most of them...they're out of control...Mum's not around enough and there's just no discipline, not the kind I had..."   
I finished my fried egg fast and noisily, not wanted to hear anymore, although my appetite was gone and I was fuming. So that's really what he thinks of us, I thought, slamming my plate into the dishwasher and hurling the glass after it with a clang. They were plastic, so thank the stars they didn't shatter.   
"What is all that noise?" Percy came into the kitchen and glared at the glass hanging off the edge of the pole of the glass rack. "Was that necessary during my conversation with Frieda?"   
"Yes, it was," I said quietly. "Especially since the 'conversation' was trashing your own parents."   
"Were you eavesdropping?!" Percy came closer and I could see he was getting angry. Well, so what! So was I!   
"Since when is eating my own breakfast in my own kitchen 'eavesdropping?!" I shot back. "If you want to have a private conversation, go do it upstairs with an owl or something! You know, your attitude is making me sick!"   
"You're the one with the serious attitude problem, sir!" Percy snarled back, glaring at me. I glared right back. "If you want to know something, I'm tired of your and George and Fred's irresponsible crap and Mum and Dad coddling you three when I worked for what I have! If you want to hide in delusions that Mum and Dad are fine careerwise, just dig a hole and hide like an ostrich and maybe grow up and raise your own kids in squalor just like we've had to live in! But I sure intend to rise above this poverty and make something of myself, unlike you!"   
"Yeah, and don't forget to take snob lessons from the Malfoys, you stiff-ass," I barked back. Looking back, what happened next was like something out of a vivid dream, but it was real that Percy lunged over and with a slice of his hand, slapped me across the face   
"Not another word, smart-aleck," Percy hissed. I was too stunned to say another word; my cheek stung like hell and I had to clutch it. My heart banged and I wondered if Percy could actually kill me right there. But Percy stalked off, thank Merlin's stars. I could feel tears fill my eyes. No, don't cry, I willed myself. Just don't cry. You will not cry, Ronald Weasley. I'll never give Percy that satisfaction. Anything but that. I closed my eyes a minute, willing them back. My anger boiled up again seeing Percy head out the front door, so sickeningly smug that I just wanted to slap him right back.   
"Hey, Percy..." I called. He kept going and I ran to the door and glared back. He stared down, this time his face expressionless now. With a stroke of my hand, I slapped his face, then turned and stalked back inside, my heart banging. Looking back, I know I shouldn't have done that, that two wrongs don't make a right as Mum and Dad often say, but somehow...I guess I felt my pride was at stake; I just couldn't take Percy's slap lying down. As I came back in and Percy slammed the door, I saw Harry standing at the kitchen doorway, his eyes wide, his hand over his mouth, his thick brows slanted upward at the bridge of his nose. I knew he'd seen almost the whole thing. We stood silently, staring at each other a minute. I could see Harry shaking and knew this scene had upset him.   
"Oh, Harry, I'm...I'm s-sorry you had to witness this," I finally managed to get out.   
"I'm..." Harry swallowed hard as he followed me upstairs. "S-sorry Percy insulted you so badly." He touched my arm and it helped some, although I was still very stung by what had just happened. I knew neither one of us would really talk about this, so we continued upstairs and played exploding snap for a while. The twins got up, got dressed and joined us. If they sensed our subdued, tense mood, they never said anything either.   


More later! 


	3. Percy's Parting

**Sibling Dynamics**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**3: Percy's Parting**

  


**Harry**: 

The day was quiet. Ron and I were especially tense and subdued as we moved through the day, getting ready for our sixth year. I was hoping Percy was gone for the day, but as I was coming out of the loo from peeing, I ran into him late that afternoon.   
"Oh...sorry..." I said politely. Percy peered at me for a minute, then went on to the room he was staying in. "Percy...I really hope you can see Ron's point...he wasn't eavesdropping..."   
"So you heard our little argument," Percy said evenly, pausing at the door.   
"Y-yes..." I wondered if it had been the right thing to do.   
"Well, I have some advice for you, Harry Potter..." Percy turned and stared right at me. "Instead of skulking around listening in on others' fights and nosing into others' affairs with that frog nose of yours, maybe you need to get a life. Two years you'll graduate and you'll be nowhere too if you don't find better connections and think of something more stable than music." I felt a jolt of anger at his insulting attitude.   
"And you have all of life's answers?!" I fired back, my eyes narrowing. _Stop it_, I told myself. I didn't want to wind up being slapped too. But I kept on, risking it anyway. "If that's your life's philosophy, I really feel sorry for you! And it was your parents you were ridiculing..." I turned and bolted down the hall.   
"It's a good thing your nose is snubbed or you'd really be in trouble for never knowing when to butt out!" Percy bellowed after me. I ran up to Ron's room and slammed the door. I also heard Percy's door slam. Ron and Ginny looked up at me sympathetically.   
"I'm so sorry..." I was shaking and still fuming. _Frog nose_, I thought bitterly. Percy really pisses me to no end!   
"Well, now you see what a jackass my brother's been lately," Ron added as I sat between them.   
"He used to be more tolerant when we were younger," Ginny put in quietly. "I wonder if being prefect..." We shook our heads as we looked sadly at each other.   
"I think it's a number of things, Gin," Ron told her. "Come on, let's play dirty word wizz ard." 

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Ron and Ginny's mum and dad came home later that night, bringing home take-out food from a close by wizard/witch deli. The twins and unfortunately, Percy was there and he shot icy glances at all of us. Needless to say, the mood was somber and even though the food was good, I had trouble eating. Molly and Arthur tried to make a light conversation and Ginny and the twins joined in, but I think they sensed the mood and got the message that something wasn't right between some of us. After the food was gone, Percy got up abruptly, told his parents he was heading back home tonight, then tore upstairs as if he couldn't wait to get away from us.   
"Tonight...?" Molly asked, puzzled. She peered at us. "Did he have a disagreement with some of you?"   
"Yes..." Ron said quietly.   
"What about?" Arthur asked.   
"Lots of things, I'd rather not discuss..." Ron flushed and looked at the table.   
"Percy just slapped Ron in the face this morning," George stated indignantly. "After putting all of us down..."   
"George..." Ron groaned and I could tell he was still embarrassed about this morning. We heard the door close then and knew Percy had really taken off to head back to his flat outside of London.   
"He also insulted Harry earlier today..." Fred added and I blushed, remembering Percy's stinging comments and embarrassed about his ridiculing the shape of my nose.   
"It's a lot of things that are painful to discuss," Ginny put in. She gave the twins a look to keep them quiet.   
"Oh, dear, I really hope Percy comes around and apologizes," Molly sipped her tea.   
"Fat chance..." Ron muttered.   
"I sensed that there was trouble between Percy and some of you, but I haven't said anything," Molly continued. "I just...didn't know that it was this serious."   
"It is..." I said softly. A sober silence spread around the kitchen as we finished our tea. As we cleaned up, we struggled to restore some semblance of balance in the aftermath of this fight. I had the bad feeling it would be a very, very long time before Percy had anything to do with any of us again...maybe it would be never. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"I'm ready..." I called two weeks later on September first from my bedroom at home. Auntie was giving me a ride to King's Crossing to catch the Hogwarts Express back to school.   
"Me too..." Aunt Miranda and I then headed out. Since Godric's Hollow is close to King's Crossing Station, it was just a short five-minute ride there...about ten kilometers from our flat. "Are you feeling better, dear?" she asked on the way. I hadn't really told her about Ron and Percy's fight or about Percy insulting me, but she'd sensed that I'd been upset when I'd come back from the Weasleys last week.   
"Sort of..." It was true. It was good to be starting another year at Hogwarts again. Ron was the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year and Hermione and I were prefects. Once Auntie dropped me off, Hermione and Cheria waved from a distance. I waved back, then my aunt and I hugged goodbye.   
"Good luck this year, love and I'll see you at Christmas..." Miranda whispered. "I love you, Harry."   
"I love you too, Auntie..." I whispered. We stayed like that a long minute, then parted. I felt a soft sad pang in my heart as I always did when I left her for school, but it generally faded once I got onto the Hogwarts Express. I found my friends in our usual compartment and we sat and talked about the upcoming year as the train took off. Ron was his usual bubbly self again to my relief. He was really excited about leading the Gryffindors this year. Hermione and I pulled out our prefect badges, as we knew once we arrived at Hogwarts, we'd have to have them on and after the Great Feast, be ready to welcome the new nervous first-years to Hogwarts. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

As I led one group of first-years up the tricky changing staircase, I had a brief vision in my head of myself as a nervous first-year with Percy leading us. Now I was the one in his place. Looking at the row of young eleven and twelve year-olds, I smiled as warmly as I could at them and gestured to a shifting stairwell.   
"These stairs are very fickle and love to change," I told them. "Even today beginning my sixth year here, I am startled by these stairs sometimes...as I'm often startled and frightened by several things here." They relaxed visibly and I was pleased when a small chuckle fanned out through the group. "You will experience some fearful things here just my friends and I have, but with your courage and all the Gryffindor courage, all of us will stand strong against whatever lies ahead. There's the reason all of you were selected for this house." I smiled at them encouragingly as I led them up the last flight to the dorms. Sure enough, the stairs we were on moved to the right and some of us managed to laugh, including me. We continued up and entered the right hall, then headed on down to the dorms.   
"He's neat..." I heard someone whisper.   
"Wow, I've never heard a bigwig at school admit to being scared of some things..." someone else added. I blushed a little, but it was odd how proud I also felt. I could feel a rapport already with these new students and it pleased me. I met Hermione just inside as she was going over the layout of the dorms and we smiled at each other. I could see she'd developed the same camaraderie with her first-years as well.   
"Welcome to the Gryffindor House," Hermione and I said simultaneously. The first years were grinning and nodding and it was good to see them settling in so comfortably this early. Neither my friends or I had forgotten where we'd come from, so that why it was easy to relate to the first-years. There was lots to fear in the coming year ahead with Voldemort being a threat and death eaters attacking more and more and the Ministry's apathy and possible corruption, but together, us Gryffindors would face them down, bit by bit. Year Six had begun.   
  
  


_Storyline Copyright by_ **CNJ**


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